In a blanket of blackness, she floated for what seemed like hours - days, even. Thoughts raced around her mind, shifting from how she got here, when she got here, why she was here in the first place, and what were the sounds she heard every so often. The muffled sounds of voices that seemed familiar left her in a daze of confusion and had her literally swimming in her own river of notions long forgotten. Racing through her mind over and over again was her life. A little girl in a small village with dreams that, after struggling through every inch of snow that surrounded her, crawling through every crevice of her terrible upbringing, and achieving the position of power that she so longed as a child - everything came crashing down when she let the darkness invade her.

These were the things that her mind kept thinking about and these were the things that kept her from returning to what she had known to be the reality. Every minute did seem like an eternity and the voice of those she knew faded until a point came in time that she started hearing them again, but they were not of those whom she loved and cared for; instead they were of [i]him[/i], blanketing her in a suffocating grasp as she struggled to reclaim her consciousness. Every word spewed towards her way was like a venom slowing seeping into the smallest cut, poisoning her mind and by extension, her soul.

She lost count how many times this voice tried to turn her against herself. She lost count how long she been here, but every day, it seemed like the willpower from within was getting lower and lower, creating a hole in her that allowed him to crawl into. If she was her former self, then perhaps she could fight him off, but no one fought off this monster. He went into you, created a home for himself, and slowly drained away what remained of your inner-light.

“I can feel you slipping. It’s only a matter of time before you give into it. Forsake everything and join me. We can help each other and maybe, you might return to him.” That same voice from before - the same one that had been gnawing at her for what felt like forever.

Savayna rolled her eyes, keeping them on what she saw above her. The sky was no longer hazy nor misty nor clear. Something about it soothed her, however. She didn’t know what day it was; she lost count after a thousand or so. [color=lightblue]“Just..go away,”[/color] she replied, annoyed. She just wanted it to be over.

“I know you don’t mean that. Accept it and you will return to how you were before. Come on, Savayna! What do you say? I bet you want to see Grant again.”

She couldn’t deny how right he was about that. It did feel as though she hadn’t seen him in a really long time. Savayna’s heart still remembered how it felt about him. She remembered the touch of his arm on her skin and how good it made her feel. The way his protective hands felt over her and how everything seemed okay when he was by her side and she was by his - all of it came back to her when she heard his name, yet it didn’t make any difference. She had no way of getting out of here nor did she want to accept this monster’s help to see him again.

[color=lightblue]“I know who you are and what your help will bring. Count me out.”[/color]

She heard the sound of a disappointed whine echo through her head. “Well, you’re no fun. And here I thought you wanted to see Grant again. Or perhaps who you really want to see is Jaakuna?”

[color=lightblue]“You’re dreaming if you think that’s who I want to see.”[/color]

“So it [i]is[/i] Grant?”

She said nothing, but she knew he was right. Damn it, she knew it and she hated it - but no! Savayna wasn’t that weak anymore. And even if she was, she wasn’t so weak that she would accept the help of someone she despised more than Atticus. [color=lightblue]“Just fuck off already.”[/color]

She then heard a sigh, followed by a loud screeching sound. “I was hoping we could do this willingly, but it seems you aren’t going to accept me into your heart So, don’t hold it against me, but this is for your own good, Savayna.” 

She didn’t know what he meant by that, but as soon as Savayna suddenly felt the lack of his presence within herself, she soon saw the blanket of darkness around her growing to such a degree that she didn’t see anything but pitch blackness. Then, as she would see images of all of her life’s memories - the village she grew up in, the time she spent growing up with the Darcones, becoming general of the Archadian Army, marrying and divorcing Jaakuna - every little thing in her life flashed before her eyes as if she re-lived all in real time. All of the emotions from every major event in her life came to her all at the same time.

And then, as she rose up from a seated position, Savayna screamed as loud as she could, looking around. For a moment, she had no idea where she was until she looked around. It was starting to come back to her: the library, the people in it - she was back. 

[color=fff79a]“Savayna!”[/color] Wesley exclaimed, alerted immediately to where she sat just ten paces away as he and the others heard her ear-pounding scream. [color=fff79a]“Grant! Nadeline! She’s awake!”[/color]
[hr]

Amid the surprise and shock of what Isaiah and the others told him, Jaakuna knew he had to focus on more than just Rio. He had to finish the man right here and now so that he and the others could do damage control topside, but Rio wasn’t making it easy. The way he spoke made Jaakuna suspicious. Either he was talking out of his ass or something that had flown way over his head happened. 

[color=ed1c24]“No. It ends now!”[/color] Jaakuna declared, exploding towards Rio’s way. His arms became engulfed in rotating fire as he was guided by his rage and resolve to end Rio right here, right now. He came at him in spiraling action, his body rotating to where he was like a spinning inferno aimed at the source of all evil. It burned hotter than the fires of the underworld and was laced with the fires of the heavens. Jaakuna would either miss or make a direct hit with Rio’s already-failing body